Conference notes with concern how badly served pensioners are by rail services and that matters have gone from bad to worse since privatisation. We are faced with cancellations; overcrowded trains; inadequate staffing at stations, on platforms and on trains; inaccessible platforms; closure of ticket offices; and lack of toilets and refreshment facilities on trains. The […]
Conference motions
There are almost 11 million people aged 65 and over in the UK which represents nearly 20% of the total population. Yet the government continues to ignore the plight of many pensioners and to place the interests of developers and the private sector housing providers before the housing needs of older people. Many pensioners facing […]
This conference deplores the continuing decline in local bus services throughout the UK. Not only have services been substantially cut but those services that have been retained are often unreliable, unpredictable and infrequent. Buses are an essential part of the local, regional and national economies, playing a vital role in the transport system, especially for […]
This conference notes that whilst the retention of the Triple Lock for the year beginning April 2023 must be applauded, in no small part to our own campaigning, we need to be wary of what the future holds. Conference must not be complacent and we will need to keep fighting for its retention in the […]
Conference notes that 2023 has been the Year of Black Workers and its focus has been ‘Establishing legacy to generate change’. This year is not, itself, the change we seek. It is the opportunity to generate change. Black workers often find themselves in low-paid, insecure work with poor terms and conditions. Besides immediate effects, this […]
Conference notes with concern the Government’s pressure for people to consult pharmacists in the first instance rather than their GP surgery. This is the result of its continuing underfunding of the NHS and, in particular, general practice surgeries, with a large deficit of fully trained GPs. This is at a time when pharmacies across all […]
Conference notes that, as well as campaigning on issues that relate directly to retired members, we have the potential and a responsibility to support the campaigns of working members. This is not new but is now more important than ever in the current period of intense struggle against a government and employers who are intent […]
Conference notes the widespread opposition to the plan by President Macron to increase the State Retirement Age in France from 62 to 64 may well have been a factor in the decision by the UK Government to delay making a decision on the rise in the State Pension Age to 68, with reports that ministers […]
This conference notes the campaign by the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy (CAPH) to end the barbaric practice Hysteroscopies being carried out in the NHS with inadequate or no offer of pain relief. As the CAPH point out, unlike NHS Colonoscopy or Gastroscopy procedures, women undergoing Hysteroscopy are NOT offered a safely monitored conscious sedation. The […]
Conference believes: 1)Retired members have been particularly hard hit by the cost-of-living crisis and in particular the massive increases in energy bills since April 2021 that has hit millions of people. 2. Retired members who are at home during the day have faced the impossible juggling act of trying to keep themselves warm and still […]
The Royal Mail has a long and proud history. It was founded in the Tudor period in 1516 when Henry VIII established a “Master of the Posts”. The Uniform Penny Post was established in 1840 and effectively the system continued to operate successfully until, 2013 when the decision was taken to privatise the Royal Mail […]
Yes, we acknowledge that some pensioners are millionaires and, yes, we acknowledge that some Government Ministers are millionaires or multi-millionaires. Whereas some pensioners, including our Unison retired members, are living in abject poverty, we have yet to find one Minister living in abject poverty. When your life is full of luxury, it may be difficult […]
Conference notes the success of UNISON’s Year of Disabled Workers 2022. Although the year is not yet complete, we have seen renewed focus on the experience of disabled members in our union, in the workplace and in society, including those in the Community service group. We have used the year to highlight the important contribution […]
Conference notes that comments made by Keir Starmer on 28 October in a Mumsnet interview regarding trans youth healthcare have caused significant concern In response to a question from a Mumsnet user about the interim report by Dr Hilary Cass on the provision of trans youth healthcare, Starmer focussed on the idea of consent, saying: […]
Conference notes that “‘Staying Alive’: The Impact of ‘Austerity Cuts’ on the LGBT Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) in England and Wales” a Trade Union Congress (TUC) – funded research report by Fiona Colgan et al at London Metropolitan University in 2014 was the last significant analysis of the state of the sector in relation […]